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Martin v. Alabama 84 Truck Rental, Inc.

Court of Appeals of the State of New York
Apr 24, 1979
47 N.Y.2d 721 (N.Y. 1979)

Opinion

Argued March 26, 1979

Decided April 24, 1979

Appeal from the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court in the Second Judicial Department, ABRAHAM J. MULTER, J.

Alan Leonard Levy and Eugene A. Wolkoff for appellant.

John Sherman, Lewis I. Wolf and Abraham Shapiro for respondents.


MEMORANDUM.

The order of the Appellate Division should be affirmed, with costs.

On this record we cannot agree with the plaintiff that the court committed error in refusing to charge the emergency doctrine as a justification for the plaintiff's speeding at the time of the accident. This is particularly so when considered in light of the charge given by the court that the emergency doctrine has no application where the plaintiff participated in the creation of the emergency (cf. Johnson v Hickson, 43 N.Y.2d 906, 908). Nor do we agree that the court erred in allowing cross-examination on the plaintiff's failure to renew his driver's license. Although such testimony is inadmissible on the issue of negligence, the record reveals that the court allowed the jury to consider this solely on the issue of credibility. The nature and extent of the cross-examination on the question of credibility is within the sound discretion of the Trial Judge and therefore beyond our review (Richardson, Evidence, § 500, at p 485).

We have reviewed plaintiff's other contentions of prejudicial error allegedly committed by the trial court and find such contentions insufficient to require a reversal.

Chief Judge COOKE and Judges JASEN, GABRIELLI, JONES, WACHTLER and FUCHSBERG concur in memorandum.

Order affirmed.


Summaries of

Martin v. Alabama 84 Truck Rental, Inc.

Court of Appeals of the State of New York
Apr 24, 1979
47 N.Y.2d 721 (N.Y. 1979)
Case details for

Martin v. Alabama 84 Truck Rental, Inc.

Case Details

Full title:CHARLES P. MARTIN, Appellant, v. ALABAMA 84 TRUCK RENTAL, INC., et al.…

Court:Court of Appeals of the State of New York

Date published: Apr 24, 1979

Citations

47 N.Y.2d 721 (N.Y. 1979)
417 N.Y.S.2d 56
390 N.E.2d 774

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